The motorcycles zipping up the shoulder of the road to pass everyone; the guy at the intersection of southbound U.S. 1 and Kanner Highway a few weeks back who rode between two lanes of traffic all the way up to the light so he could gun it when it turned green and cut in front of everybody.

No helmet, of course.

Then there was the bicyclist on Jensen Beach Boulevard who cut across all five lanes of traffic near Jensen Beach Baptist Church; no crosswalk, not so much as a sideways glance as my wife screamed "LOOK OUT!" and I stood on the brakes.

No helmet, of course.

And again at the corner of U.S. 1 and Kanner Highway — what is it with that place — where a bicyclist crossed against the light almost absent-mindedly, traffic stopped or trying to drive around him as he talked on the phone.

A 2015 Minnesota study found that of 985 bicycle-motorist crashes, 56 percent were the fault of the motorist. A much earlier study out of Hawaii found motorists to be at fault in 83.5 percent of such wrecks.

The landmark “Hurt Report,” published in 1981, showed when motorcycles are involved in crashes with another vehicle, the other vehicle/vehicles were at fault more than 66 percent of the time.

Florida, though, doesn't appear to track motorcycle or bike crashes by fault. What we have instead are raw numbers which give Florida the grim reputation as one of the most dangerous places in the nation to get around on two wheels.

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A motorcycle was involved in a crash on Interstate 95 south of Sebastian on March 30, 2017.(Photo: ELLIOTT JONES/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS)

But again, these numbers tell us nothing about fault. So I contacted some local law enforcement agencies and found — ahem — their mileage varied.

Deputy Dave Rosko of the Martin County Sheriff's Office said his department has responded to 36 motorcycle crashes, 19 bike crashes (and one moped crash) so far this year; in nearly three-quarters of these wrecks, the motorists — not the cyclist or biker — was at fault.

But things are different in St. Lucie County. Between Jan. 1, 2018, through mid-June of this year, there were 19 crashes in the unincorporated county involving motorcycles— and the rider was at fault in 13 of them.

Before he ran the reports, said St. Lucie County Deputy Bryan Beaty, “I asked a random traffic deputy who is typically at fault in a crash involving a motorcycle and their response was immediately: 'The motorcycle.' ”

Understand, I'm not suggesting four wheels good, two wheels bad. But they are, frankly, among the most vulnerable people out there on — and along — our roads.

And, as such, reckless riding can have huge consequences.

“People like myself have the lights, wear reflective clothing, choose their routes very carefully and ride in the bike lanes — occasionally on the sidewalk if they have to be safe,” said Troy McDonald, a former Stuart city commissioner who I’d called because he’s a bike enthusiast (and turns out he has a motorcycle, too, a Ducati Superbike).

Other bike riders are a bit more cavalier.

"They have a complete lack of safety," McDonald said. "They don’t follow any sorts of rules on the bike, don’t wear lights or helmets."

Florida cyclists over age 16 don't have to wear a helmet, and the state's flimsy motorcycle helmet law stipulates only that you must have $10,000 worth of medical insurance to ride without one.

To me, though, helmets are a no-brainer: If you don't wear one and you're in a wreck and your head hits the ground... you'll have no brain.

There are other ways to enhance safety besides wearing helmets. In Sewall’s Point, bike lanes have been painted green to enhance visibility.

But at the end of the day it’s about responsible driving and responsible riding. Vehicles need to “watch out for motorcycles,” as the bumper sticker says.

Riders need to watch out, too.

“We expect drivers to be careful and not hit us,” McDonald said. “But we have a responsibility to protect ourselves.”

Gil Smart is a TCPalm columnist and a member of the Editorial Board. His columns reflect his opinion. Readers may reach him at gil.smart@tcpalm.com, by phone at 772-223-4741 or via Twitter at @TCPalmGilSmart.